


The Piano Teacher

by Tritonia



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-19
Updated: 2013-10-28
Packaged: 2017-12-29 20:38:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1009829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tritonia/pseuds/Tritonia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Armin is a piano teacher. Erwin is a distinguished CEO. Somehow their paths cross and Armin can't help but think of the tall man who stood in front of him. </p><p>A modern AU where a musician and a business man find each other and love in the process.</p><p>I swear it's not as horribly cheesy as it sounds. Or maybe it is. I'm not great at descriptions like this. But there is a lot of fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is my first fic for the fandom and the first time I'm writing seriously in a long time. Feedback is much appreciated. This will hopefully be a few chapters at least. I'm pretty excited about this though. I have some plans. And they're pretty fun. Also the rating may or may not go up (for reasons that you can assume). And more characters/tags will probably be added as the story goes. 
> 
> Alright, I don't know what else to put here. Enjoy.

Sunlight streamed through the large bedroom windows. It illuminated most of the otherwise dark room where the half-asleep blond lay in bed. The young man had woken with a jolt at the sound of his obnoxious alarm a few minutes before and had stayed in bed, waiting for the second round of horrible noise to start before actually getting out of bed.  Eventually his alarm started blaring again, the sound was close to that of a tornado siren, and with a small sigh he sat up and got out of bed. He would have to get up sooner or later anyway or have to rush to get ready before his morning students arrived.

He shuffled his way to his bathroom, attempting to rub the sleep from his eyes as he walked. As he entered his bathroom he stripped himself of the sweater and boxers he’d worn to bed and went straight for the shower. It was November and starting to get chilly at night, with or without the heat on he was always cold and the sudden drops in temperature didn’t help at all. He turned the heat all the way up in the shower and began to sink into the warm water as he slowly woke up. As he showered he thought about his upcoming day. He taught piano lessons to children whose parents eight times out of ten dragged them there. He did have a few students who were both good and enjoyed his lessons and they made everything worth the children who clearly couldn’t stand to be there.  It was a Saturday, meaning he had students through the day rather than in the evening. That day he had two students in the morning, a brother and sister pair, usually brought in by their rather sullen looking father, and then three other students spread throughout the afternoon until four. He made a note to himself to see if his friends wanted to go out that night since he would be free; he was feeling particularly social today.

He finally had to step out of the shower and get ready. He squeezed most of the water from his long hair and wrapped a towel around his waist before walking into his carpeted bedroom. From his closet he chose a simple light blue button down shirt and a pair of black slacks. He paired this with a simple black leather belt and proceeded to dress himself and get ready for the day. When he was finished he stood in front of his bathroom mirror and observed himself. He was average height, standing at about 5’5’’. His long, blond hair swept his shoulder, and his bangs hung against his forehead. His eyes were his most prominent feature; they were a deep sky blue that could see right through a person. He stared at himself for another minute, making sure everything looked as it should, before sweeping his hair into a ponytail and walking out of the bathroom. It was time for him to set up for his first students and if he didn’t start soon he’d be running behind.

He exited his bedroom and shuffled his way to his kitchen to grab a cup of coffee before walking to the other half of his house. Every morning he was glad he had a coffee maker that would brew on a timer so there was always coffee when he woke up. Coffee in tow he made his way over to the other side of his home where he did his lessons. He passed through the entry way on his way and unlocked his door as he went so that his students could come in easily. This side of his home was divided into two main sections: the half where he gave piano lessons that housed, besides his piano, several bookcases filled with music, books, and small knickknacks that he’d picked up over the years or that had been given to him by his students. The second half was for the parents. The rooms were separated by glass doors so the parents could watch their children if they wanted to stay or they could wait while one child’s lesson was finished so their child could begin theirs. The sitting room had two plush couches and two chairs with a small table in the center. There was a large area run in the room to protect the wood floors and a few wall hangings that he had inherited from his grandfather. He tidied up what little there was to fix and opened up the curtains in both the piano room and the sitting room. His first two students were young and had been with him for about two months. They were his youngest students as of that moment and one was still struggling at the beginner’s level, he was a determined boy though that worked very hard. His sister, however, had started learning more advanced pieces a few weeks ago. She was quick to learn and excelled at what she did. They were his favorite students, though he wouldn’t say a word about that to any of his other students. He set out the respective books for his students and sat them at the piano. He wandered around the space for a bit, making sure everything was in place and simply killing time for the last few minutes until his students would arrive with their irritable father most likely in tow.

He was sitting at his piano as he stared at the small clock that sat beside the piano on a small table. It was 10:10, ten minutes after the lesson was supposed to start and he was still waiting. It was odd; he had never known this particular family to be late. He was starting to get worried when he heard a noise coming from the entry way.

“Hello?” an unfamiliar voice questioned.

“No!” a child’s voice responded “It’s this way Uncle Erwin! You don’t have to yell into Mr. Arlert’s house!” However, the child was yelling himself.

“Don’t be so loud, Eren,” another child’s voice responded.

He knew Eren and Mikasa’s voices as soon as he heard them. He wondered who “Uncle Erwin” was though. He’d never heard of him before.

Eren and Mikasa, his two students, came in pulling a rather tall blond man behind them by the sleeves of his suit jacket. The man was laughing lightly at how serious the children were being.

“Okay, okay guys,” Erwin said, still laughing. “I think you can let go now.”  He looked up from the children. “Hello, you must be Mr. Arlert. Yes?”

He stared the tall, attractive man. “Yes, I am. Parents, or er- family, can call me Armin.” He extended his hand to Erwin and they shook. Armin bent down to greet the two children who had since let go of Erwin’s suit. “Where’s your dad, kids?” he gently questioned.

“Sick!” Eren had a tendency to shout most things. He was a very excitable child. “That’s why Uncle Erwin is here! He’s so cool! Isn’t he?” Eren was grinning excitedly at Armin by now.

Armin chuckled and simply said, “I bet he is! Now how ‘bout we do our lesson? I’ve picked out some fun songs I think you’ll like, Eren!” He ruffled the boy’s hair and ushered him into the piano room. “Pick a song to start and I’ll be right there!”

Mikasa had taken a seat on one of the sofas and started turning through one of the music books out on the table. Erwin however was still standing, clearly unsure if he should sit like Mikasa had or remain standing or leave.

Armin finally got a look at the man and was momentarily frozen. He was breath taking. He stood tall and towering, with short blond hair kept perfectly neat and ice blue eyes that pierced Armin to the core. The suit that Erwin wore was navy blue and made his broad shoulders and chest look amazing. He looked like a mixture of a distinguished politician and Captain America. Armin had to blink a couple times to regain his bearings and turned back to the man.

“You can sit,” he said and gestured the sofa that Mikasa was currently sitting on. “It’s going to be a little while. After Eren’s lesson is Mikasa’s and they’re both a half hour long.” He then turned to Mikasa and crouched down to her level, “Hey! I found some really pretty classical pieces that we’re going to focus on for the next few weeks. Are you excited?”

Mikasa grinned up at him. Classical was her favorite. “Yes, Mr. Arlert!” He smiled at her and stood.

 

Armin glanced back at Erwin, only to catch him giving him a look he couldn’t quite describe, and made his way to the piano room to begin his lesson with Eren.

 

* * *

 

Throughout the lessons with Eren and Mikasa, Armin could feel Erwin’s eyes on him. It didn’t really make him uncomfortable, but it was strange. Why was this man staring at him so much? Armin couldn’t really think of a reasonable answer while teaching Eren and Mikasa techniques and notes and how to hold their hands all at once. However, as he was walking Mikasa out to the sitting room his eyes easily wandered to Erwin’s. As their eyes met, his heart raced. He could feel a faint flush creeping up his neck at this point. It was Erwin who broke contact first.

Erwin stood and gathered Eren and Mikasa so they could get ready to leave. “Did you guys have fun?”

“Yes!” was the simultaneous answer from the both of them.  “Uncle Erwin!” Mikasa tugged on his suit jacket. “We’re going to go put our shoes on!” She grabbed Eren’s hand and they rushed out of the room together. Armin didn’t like people wearing shoes in his house, place of business or not.  “Bye bye, Mr. Arlert!” they cried together as they left.

“Bye kids! See you next week!” Armin waved them off with a smile. He then turned to Erwin who was standing across from him watching the retreating backs of the children. Armin could feel the blush rising again as he continued to stare. It was unlike him to just stare at a person so openly, but he couldn’t help himself. There was something about this man that made him want to stare at him forever. It was odd.

“So,” Erwin started, “Is there anything I need to pass on to their parents?”

Armin jumped. “U-Uh, no. Nothing. They’re really great kids and they’re doing well.” He had started to smile, they really were the best kids. “Is everything okay though? Usually their father brings them?”

“Ah, yes. Levi’s fine, just a little under the weather. And Hanji is out at some convention for business at the moment so they’re staying with me.” He paused to look towards the entry way where he could see Mikasa helping Eren finish tying his shoes. “It was a pleasure to meet you Armin, until next week.” He turned and waved back.

“Same, Erwin,” saying his name made his heart flutter again. “Until next week. Bye kids!” He called out a final goodbye and walked over to shut the door behind them.

 It was later that day, after his last student and before he made plans with his friends, that he actually realized what Erwin had said. He would be coming again next week. Armin’s heart fluttered and a small smile spread across his face as he realized he’d get to see the entrancing man again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is moving slowly. And there's no Erwin in this chapter but he comes back in the next. Also there's texting in this chapter. It's marked like: [Name]: text. And their texting styles are just what I think they'd be. I've got more planned out, we just have to get there. Also a lot of rewriting was involved in this chapter so hopefully it's not too rough. 
> 
> Enjoy
> 
> Also thank you for the kudos and reading and you're all perfect♥ much love to you all

Armin’s last student had left an hour ago and he was still sitting in his piano room. He was mindlessly plucking at the keys, thinking about the towering blond from that morning. He shook his head. He didn’t need to dwell on him. Sure he looked like some kind of god, but that didn’t mean Armin needed to think about him so much. He was related to two of his students, he _shouldn’t_ think about him. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Armin rose from the piano and started to put everything away and close off this section of his home. He still wanted to text his friends to see if they wanted to come over. They usually all hung out quite a bit, but the past few weeks had been busy for all of them and he hadn’t seen them in a while. He missed them and wanted to catch up. He walked across his home to his living room where he kept his phone charging during the day, when he got to it he scrolled through his contacts, selecting three of them. He typed out a quick message to them:

[Armin]: Hey. Im free tonight. Do you guys want to come over? Ill buy pizza.

 [Jean]: Hell yeah, oh and about my new job. I have so much to tell you guys. Like about my hunk of a boss. WOW. Talk about a man. Im bringin beer. Yall care what kind? Oh and marco says hes comin too.

[Bertl]: Sure. And I don’t care about what kind, Jean.

[Armin]: Jean I have beer you know.

[Jean]: YOU HAVE SHIT BEER ARMIN. SHIT. ITS LIKE DRINKIN WATERED DOWN COW PISS. NO. IM BRINGIN BEER.

[Armin]: Fine fine. Drama queen. Ill see you guys at 7?

[Jean]: Yup.

[Bertl]: Yep.

Armin laughed quietly as he put his phone in lock mode. Jean, Marco and Bertholdt (Bertl for short), were three of his best friends. Jean was loud, dramatic, and a little crass sometimes, but he cared deeply about his friends and would do anything for them. He and Armin had been friends since middle school. They met Marco in high school and senior year was the year Jean and Marco got together. They’d been together ever since. Marco was Jean’s opposite. He was kind and quiet, but he balanced Jean perfectly. Armin had met Bertl in college. They were both music majors and had become fast friends. Bertl was a nervous person, he wasn’t incredibly social and he preferred to stay in his comfortable social circle of friends. He was often more relaxed when it was just the four of them and not a large group of people.

Armin put his phone in his pocket and went to his bedroom. He wanted to change from his more professional work clothes into something comfortable to hang out with his friends in. As he walked towards his closet he began undoing the buttons on his shirt so he could change easily. He kept his closet organized for the most part, with work clothes in the front half and day to day clothes towards the back. By the time he was standing in front of a row of sweaters he’d undone his shirt. It hung loose around him now. He reached out for his favorite sweater; it was a soft, solid gray that was about two sizes too big for him. Grabbing a pair of faded blue jeans on his way, he left his closet and started to change. When he was comfortable and changed he still had to time to kill before he even had to order the pizza. He spent his time doing mindless tasks around his house and eventually ordered the pizza.

Finally 7 o'clock rolled around and a loud knock sounded at the door. The sudden loud sound in Armin’s otherwise quiet house startled him. He set the pizza that had arrived minutes before down and padded over to the door. As soon as he opened the door Jean barreled through with Marco and a case of beer in tow.  Bertl followed in behind them, ducking slightly at the entrance out of habit. Bertl could easily reach the top of the door frame and being that close to the top of it made him nervous about hitting his head.

“Armin!” Jean was suddenly screaming and hurling himself towards the blond. “Dude! It’s been a while.” Jean pulled Armin in for a hug, he was a physical person and this was their typical greeting.

Armin returned his hug, “It has! Come on in guys. The pizza’s here and Jean has beer.”

He ushered his friends into his living room where he’d put the pizza and they all sat together. As they ate their food they talked. Or rather, Jean talked. Loudly and with food in his mouth for the most part.

“You guys would not believe this man,” he went on. He was talking about a new job he’d gotten with a large corporation and his apparently incredible handsome new boss. “I swear he’s like….a god or something.” Another bite of pizza. “It’s hard to get anything done; I just want to stare at the man’s ass. He’s got a damn fine ass. It’s hard a life.” At this point Jean was receiving pointed looks from Marco. While he was kind and quiet, it was still hard to hear his boyfriend rave about his boss’s ass. Jean seemed to finally catch on. “Aw, babe. He may have a great ass but I don’t care about his. Yours is the only ass I really care about.” Jean wrapped an arm around Marco and kissed him on the cheek. “It’s all in good fun. I only care about you, okay baby?” Jean pulled Marco closer for another kiss. If they weren’t stopped soon it was about to get very awkward for Armin and Bertl.

Armin could see Bertl getting uncomfortable and he was starting to get uncomfortable himself. He cleared his throat loudly. “Guys. Save it for you own house. Please. While you’re cute, we don’t want to see it,” he gestured between himself and Bertl. “And now that you’ve gotten your hot boss out of your system, you’ll never believe the guy I met today. Tall, blond, and he must be related to Captain American because he certainly looked like him.” Recalling the man from this morning made Armin’s heart flutter. “I could hardly think straight while looking at him.” He could feel heat rising in his cheeks.

“Armin!” Jean blurted out, one arm still warped around Marco’s waist. “You’re blushing! What’s his name, how did you meet? He’s obviously not a parent if he’s that attractive. I mean he can’t be.” Jean had a tendency to talk too much.

“No, he’s not a parent. But he did drop off my two morning students. Family friend apparently. And he’s coming back next week and ….wait. I just realized. The only reason he was here today was because their parents were sick and busy. Why is he coming back next week?” Armin started to panic. While earlier he’d thought about seeing the man again, he now realized exactly what that meant.

Marco piped up, “Maybe he wants to see a certain someone, Armin.” He gently nudged the young man, grinning at him. “Maybe he was as attracted to you as you seem to be to him. You’ll just have to see how next week goes.”

At that Armin thought “ _Could that incredible man really have been attracted me?”_ The thought seemed suspicious to him. While over the years he’d grown confident in himself, he couldn’t see how Erwin could be attracted to him. As Marco said though, he’d just have to wait and see how next week turned out. Maybe he could talk to Erwin more.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I didn't actually mean for this to take as long as it did. I got caught up with marathoning pmmm with my mom and then other things along the way and how to write this and etcetc.. Anyway. This chapter is a little shorter. And it's broken up a little to move things along. But it's set up for the next chapter. Which I'm working on right now. also there's more texting at the end so same format as before.  
> Also thank you for all the kudos and the comments ^^ And major thanks for reading in the first place! You're all wonderful♥

 

The week passed slowly for Armin. He ran errands, taught his students, and went out with friends when he could, but still the week was slow. He was too distracted. At the most inopportune times, thoughts of Erwin would creep into his mind. He thought of everything from the sound of his deep voice to his ice blue eyes. He was frustrated by him. He would often think to himself, “ _I’ve only met him once! Why is this happening? But dammit. He really was attractive. I wonder…”_ and from there his thoughts would drift to what Erwin might say or do or what Armin himself might do when he saw him again. As frustrated as he was, he was excited about meeting Erwin again.

* * *

Saturday finally arrived and Armin was a wreck. He stood in his closet, fresh from the shower, starring at his clothing trying to find something to wear. Unfortunately he was starting to get cold and he still hadn’t figured out anything to wear. Sighing loudly he picked out a simple light grey shirt and a pair of darker grey slacks. He grabbed the same black belt from last week and made his out of his closet to finally get ready. Standing for so long in his closet for so long had put him behind and at this rate he’d be late to greet his students.

Armin hurried through getting ready. He had just enough time left to grab a cup of coffee before he heard a loud knock at the front door. He glanced at the clock, thinking they must be early. Sure, he was running behind but he couldn’t be that behind? To his surprise it was indeed 10 o’clock and he was running later than he thought. He rushed to the door, coffee in hand.

“I’m so sorry,” was the first thing out of his mouth as he yanked the door open.

“Mr. Arlert!” Eren cried, rushing inside. “Mr. Arlert! Uncle Erwin brought us again today! Isn’t that so cool?”

“Hi Mr. Arlert,” Mikasa waved up at him walking in after Eren.

“Hey kids,” Armin called after them. “And yeah Eren, that’s really cool!” Armin turned back to his door. Erwin stood there grinning.

"Hello there," Erwin greeted him, lifting his hand in a wave.

"Hi, come on in. Are their parents still out?" Armin wanted to hear his excuse for dropping off the kids again.

"No," was Erwin's simple reply that he paired with a rather sly smile directed at Armin.

 

Armin felt heat rising to his face as Erwin breezed past him into his home. Erwin hadn’t said his reasons, but enough was implied to make Armin blush. He shut the door and tried to calm himself before turning towards the sitting room where his students and Erwin were waiting. 

* * *

 Eren and Mikasa’s lessons had ended a few minutes ago and the two were currently in the entry way putting their shoes on and getting ready to leave. Armin had felt Erwin’s eyes on him throughout both of their lessons again and he had constantly wanted to either shake the man and question him as to why he kept staring at him, or grab him by his suit jacket and kiss his stupid attractive face. Instead, he had to continue the lessons and use all of his strength to refrain from doing something he’d probably regret as soon as he’d done it.

Erwin now stood in front of him. Armin noticed that he was standing close enough that he could faintly smell the musky scent of Erwin’s cologne. The only way Armin could properly think of the scent was delicious. He wanted to surround himself with it for the rest of his life.

“So, Armin,” Erwin started, making Armin snap to attention. “I was thinking, would you like to have dinner with me sometime?” He was smiling down at Armin.

“Um. Dinner?” That was the last thing Armin had expected to be asked. “I-I…sure. I’d like that.” Armin’s cheeks were burning red. He couldn’t believe that Erwin had asked him to dinner.

"Great," Erwin's smile grew and he reached into his pocket and drew his wallet out. He pulled out what appeared to be a business card. With a pen he pulled from his jacket he scribbled something on the back and handed the card to Armin. "On the back is my cell number. Call me sometime, we'll talk about that dinner date." He gave Armin one last dazzling smile before turning to collect Eren and Mikasa who had now finished gathering their things.

Armin smiled back at Erwin. “Okay,” He said, gripping the card in his hands tighter.

“Bye bye Mr. Arlert!” the two children called as they ran out the door.

“Bye bye kids!” Armin called back, shutting the door behind them.

 

He walked into the sitting room, choosing to sit in one of the plush chairs. Turning the card over in his hands, he played Erwin’s words over and over again in his head. He had a date. With the man who had plagued his thoughts for a week. A date. Erwin himself had said it, “ _dinner date”_. Armin couldn’t believe it. The more he thought about it the more excited he became. Then his nerves hit. _He_ was the one who had to call him. He had been asked on a date. It had happened before, it’s not like he was unattractive, but never by someone that looked quite like Erwin. Never by someone who made his heart race the way it did around Erwin. Even though he was still excited, Armin was nervous. He gazed down at the card in his hands, at the scrawled numbers on the back. He took a deep breath in and out to calm his nerves a little. He had a date.

* * *

 [Armin]: Jean. Help me. I have a date. With that guy I was telling you guys about last week. Jean help.

[Jean]: WOAH HOLY SHIT ARMIN. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. HELL YEAH.

[Armin]: Jean. I have to call him. JEAN WHAT DO I DO

[Jean]: Okay okay. Dont worry your pretty blond head. Whens your date

[Armin]: I have to call him. I just said that. He gave me his number and said to call him to talk about our “dinner date”. Jean help. Hes hot and Im panicking.

[Jean]: Call him then. He wanted you to or he wouldnt have given you his number. Call him. Set up your hot date. And Ill help you figure out what to wear.

[Armin]: JEAN WHEN. DO. I. CALL. HIM. HELP.

[Jean]: Call him tonight. Dont freak man. Call him and then text me after. Let me know what happens

[Armin]: Okay. Later Jean.

Armin sighed. Talking to Jean had calmed him a little. He clicked off his phone and slid it into his back pocket along with Erwin’s card. He’d call him later that night. For now he still had to teach his students and make it through the rest of his day. He was still nervous, but he was undoubtedly more excited about his date with Erwin than anything else.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you notice any horrible errors please tell me! I didn't exactly read this all over.... 
> 
> And feel free to harass me on tumblr (erwinarlert.tumblr.com) and you can also see me making 800 text posts about this fic.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh this took a bit longer than I wanted but I had to get everything perfect. And I hope I did that. SO I'm gonna run down a few things about this chapter at the end notes part. But anyway, here are cuties on a date, I hope you enjoy!!
> 
> Also I appreciate your comments so much AND IM SUPER SORRY cause I'm not replying to them and honestly I read them a lot and squeal and it makes me really happy i'm just sucky at responses. But I seriously appreciate it a lot and I love you all. Very much. You're precious♥
> 
> Also, totally did not read this through. SO if you notice anything horrible either about characters or the writing or whatever please let me know. I had to rewrite this a lot so yeah. Please and thank you. 
> 
> Also: I mention two songs: Love Potion No. 9 - the searchers and We Intertwined - The Hush Sound (we intertwined was a rec by the awesome babeofthebayou on tumblr (http://babeofthebayou.tumblr.com/)) they don't really have any meaning lyrics wise for the story. I just figure they'd be songs Armin listens to and if you wanna listen to them and imagine Armin being a dork and singing along, there you go.

Armin sat in his living room. The television was on in the background but he wasn’t really watching, it something about stocks rising for some company and how well it apparently was doing. He couldn’t care less. His phone sat in front of him. It was edging closer to 6:30, when Armin had told himself he’d call Erwin. He had deemed that a perfectly acceptable time and as it approached, a calm feeling had settled over him. After getting out his initial nerves with Jean, he’d been able to calm down. Of course he was still nervous, but he didn’t let it affect him too much. He’d gone about his day, pushing his morning encounter to the back of his mind and only let it resurface as he shut the door behind his last student of the day.  He was excited more than nervous at this point. He just had to call him now. He reached for his phone and Erwin’s business card, excitement, nerves, and the idea of Erwin himself causing his heart rate to spike.  Quickly typing in the phone number off the back he waited as the phone rang.

“Hello?” a deep voice sounded after the fourth ring.

“Hi. Is this Erwin? It’s Armin.”

“Ah, Armin! Hello. One second.” Armin could hear muffled talking that he couldn’t quite make out. “Sorry about that, someone was in my office. How are you?”

“Oh! Is this a bad time, should I call back later?”

“No, no it’s fine. They were just leaving and stopped in to say goodbye. Now’s perfect. Now, how are you this evening?”

“Ah, okay. I’m good. It’s been a long day, Saturday is my busiest day. I have students all day pretty much and the last one just left a little while ago. And, how’re you?”

“I’m good as well. After this morning I had to come into the office. It feels like I’ve been in meetings my whole life,” Erwin laughed lightly. “But, my day is over. And infinitely better now that I’m talking with you. I’m very much looking forward to our dinner. Speaking of which, what is a good day for you?”

“It’s probably a bit odd, but Thursday would probably be best. It’s the one day I don’t have many students.”

There was shuffling on the other end. It sounded like Erwin was checking his phone. “Thursday works no problem. I know the perfect place, I think you’ll appreciate it. I’ll pick you up Thursday evening at seven. You should wear a suit if you can.”

“Where are we going exactly?” At the mention of a suit Armin began to question where exactly Erwin would be taking him. _“What kind of place requires a suit?”_ he asked himself.

“That would be a secret. I’m going to surprise you. Humor me?”

“Alright, I’ll humor you. I’ll see you Thursday, then. In a suit.”

 He could hear Erwin chuckle. “Until Thursday, then. And Armin?”

“Yes?”

“I can’t wait. Goodnight.”

“Neither can I. Goodnight.”

Armin hung up, a faint blush rising to his cheeks at Erwin’s last words. The phone call had gone well and Armin was more excited now that plans had finally been set. He’d text Jean later and tell him how it went, for now he was tired and wanted to watch a little TV before heading to bed.

The following days leading up to Thursday passed easily enough for Armin. He had called Jean on Sunday and they had talked all about Erwin, and Armin’s upcoming date. Jean ranted to him at first at the fact that Armin had waited a whole day to tell him about his phone call with Erwin, but he eventually got over it and was happy for his best friend. Besides his talk with Jean, not much out of the usual happened in his week, and then finally it was Thursday.

Armin’s only student for the day had just left and he had a little over an hour before Erwin would be there. He quickly closed off the work side of his house and made his way over to his bedroom so he could start getting ready. He picked up his iPod off his nightstand and set it to shuffle before setting it down on the docking station. He set it to shuffle and pressed play.

_I took my troubles down to Madame Rue_

Loud music suddenly filled the room. It was one of Armin’s favorite songs. He stripped his clothing and got in the shower, singing along to the song.

_She said what you need is Love Potion Number Nine_

He danced and sang as he showered, the song giving him an extra boost of energy. He finished his shower after another two songs played which he sang along with as well. He was in a very cheery mood. He wrapped his towel around his waist as he stepped out of the shower and padded over to his closet. Remember Erwin’s words to him about wearing a suit, he walked to the very back where he kept the only two suits he owned. It was just down to a choice of black or navy. The last time he’d worn his black suit had been for his grandfather’s funeral and he honestly didn’t want to wear it again. With the choice clear in his mind he reached for the navy suit and chose a simple white button down and a dark blue tie with a small crisscross pattern woven into it.

_In a field outside of town we could always be alone_

Armin hummed along with the song when it came on. He liked this song. The lyrics didn’t quite match his mood but the music itself was upbeat. He set his clothes down on his bed neatly and went into his bathroom to dry his hair and do the little things before getting dressed.

He stood in front his mirror and adjusted his tie. He had pulled his hair up, as he did for most occasions, but he’d put a little more effort into it. It was pulled back neatly instead of the hasty pony he usually pulled it into. He smoothed his hands over his suit jacket, checking for any errors or wrinkles. It had been a while since he’d worn it. With a final look he decided that he looked good and that there wasn’t anything wrong with his suit. He gave a happy sigh and walked out of the bathroom, clicking off the light as he went. As a last minute decision he decided to grab the small, black leather watch he’d gotten as a gift one birthday. When he was setting the time he noticed that it was five minutes until Erwin would be arriving. His heart pounded as the minutes edged closer and closer to seven o’clock. His nerves threatened to get the best of him but he was able to calm himself.

He was sitting on the edge of his couch when he heard a knock at his door. He jumped up and went to the door. When he opened it he almost wanted to drop his mouth. Erwin stood before him looking amazing. Armin had seen him in his suits before, but this one was different. It was a finer suit and it fit Erwin in a way that defined everything. The black suit had been paired with a light grey shirt and a dark burgundy tie that Erwin had tied into a complicated knot. He looked stunning.

“Hello,” Armin said, smiling up at Erwin.

Erwin returned his smile. “Hello, are you ready?”

“Yeah, I am.” Erwin stepped aside as Armin stepped out. He turned and locked the door behind him.

“Let’s go then,” Erwin gestured to the street where his car was parked. Armin should have expected, Erwin seemed like he had money to spare, but the shining black car in front of him was clearly past what he had even expected. He didn’t know very much about cars, however he could recognize a few. He’d seen the one just like it when he’d been dragged to a car show with Jean and he knew that it was high end enough that if he had wanted to buy one he’d have to win the lottery a few times over. He sat in the plush leather seats, staring at the pair of wings that made up the logo, and he thought to himself, “ _Just what does he do that he has this kind of money?”_

The car ride to the restaurant was filled with small talk about their respective weeks since they’d last talked. It was nice and simple. Armin felt at ease, but nervous about where they were going. He still didn’t know and the fact that he’d had to wear a suit to enter made him question Erwin’s choice of restaurant. As they entered downtown, Armin stared up at the lit buildings. Downtown was a favorite place of his. It was bright and shining and to him to it was amazing. His favorite building looked like a lit up microphone to him. He’d never been inside, but he’d always wanted to go up to the very top and look down at the city. They sped through the streets, between towering buildings and wandering pedestrians, until Erwin stopped the car at their apparent destination. He had pulled up in front of a grand building.

“We’re here,” Erwin said, turning to Armin. “We’re dining at The French Room. It’s inside this hotel.”

“Ah, okay.” Armin hadn’t heard of the restaurant before, but judging on the building it was going to be impressive.

They stepped out of the car and as Armin rounded the car he saw Erwin giving his keys to a valet. Erwin waited for him to reach him and they made their way inside together. Armin took in his surroundings. They walked through the lobby of the hotel. It was quiet, except for faint tinkling music that could be heard. He saw men and women dressed in fine clothing coming and going, talking in hushed tones and laughing quietly. The lights were low and the entire space seemed to be glowing under the soft lights. They walked to the far end of the lobby where rich red curtains were drawn back to reveal a small walkway with a person waiting at the end dressed in black and white. Armin followed Erwin up the small step and down the walkway.

“Name, sir,” the maître d' asked politely.

“Erwin Smith.”

“Ah, this way please.” They followed behind the man and were seated in at a table against a wall in the middle of the room.

The room itself held few tables where men and women dined and laughed. The restaurant made Armin feel like he was in an old French Palace. The ceilings were painted with cherubs and clouds, and two large yet dainty chandeliers hung high. There was a soft light to everything that wasn’t overwhelming. Golds and greens and blues were the main colors of the walls, giving everything a rich feeling. It was a beautiful place.

“So,” Erwin started, gazing at Armin and smiling slightly. “May I just say that you look amazing? Because you certainly do.”

Armin suppressed a blush that threatened to rise. “Thank you. You look amazing as well.”

“Thank you. Ah! So,” Erwin leaned forward slightly here. “What do you think of the surprise? Was it worth it?”

“I wasn’t so fond of not knowing, but it was worth it. This place is wonderful.”

“Good! I’m glad to hear that. As for food I recommend we get the Chef’s Menu. It’s a full five-course meal with a different wine for each course. It’s an experience you have to have. What do you say?”

“Sounds great,” Armin glanced at the menu in front of him and found the Chef’s Menu. “It sounds delicious as well,” he said as he read the menu.

A waiter came by then and Erwin ordered for them, saying they’d have the Chef’s Menu with half wine. The waiter left them alone again and they continued their conversation.

“Do you like teaching piano?”

“I do. I’ve always loved piano since I was little. My grandfather used to own a piano and whenever I was over he’d teach me songs, eventually letting me play by myself. It’s always been my passion. And while I like performing for others, it feels personal to me. I like teaching. I like seeing children grasp the notes and turn them into something amazing. What about you? Do you like what you do? What exactly do you do?”

“That’s wonderful. And you’re clearly a great teacher. Eren and Mikasa always rave about you after their lessons. As for what I do. I’m the CEO of SRC Telecom. I like what I do, as stressful as it can be sometimes. I built it up from a small, one state, one city, company, to what it is now. I’m pretty proud of that and I wouldn’t have worked that hard at something I don’t like.”

Armin felt mild shock at hearing Erwin was the CEO of SRC Telecom. SRC was the among the largest telecom corporations that even Armin had heard of it. He had figured the man was obviously someone important, or at the very least held a powerful position, but he hadn’t imagined that he was the CEO of the one of the largest telephone companies.

The first course came then. It was a rich black lentil soup that smelled delicious. Paired with it was a half glass of rose wine that Armin tentatively took a sip of. He wasn’t much of a wine drinker so it surprised him by how much he liked the wine. Their conversation continued. Everything from “ _Where did you go to school_ ”, the Boston Conservatory for Armin and Columbia for Erwin, to “ _What’s your favorite color”_ , to which Armin said blue and Erwin said green. The two blonds spent their evening getting to know each other slowly and simply.

They were now sitting quietly in Armin’s driveway. It had been a wonderful evening full of laughter and Armin could feel himself falling for this man.

“Armin?” Erwin had now twisted in his seat so he could face him.

“Yes?” Armin twisted as well, facing Erwin.

“Would you mind if I kissed you goodnight?”

Armin couldn’t suppress the blush rising to his cheeks. “N-No, I wouldn’t mind.”

Erwin raised his hand, cupping Armin’s face and gently pulled him closer as he leaned in. His lips were firm but soft against Armin’s as he kissed Erwin back. It was a gentle, soft kiss. As they parted, Erwin left his hand on Armin’s face.

“Goodnight, Armin. I had a great time.”

Armin leaned into his palm lightly. “So did I. Goodnight, Erwin.”

Erwin slowly removed his hand and smiled at Armin, which he returned as he stepped out of the car. With a final wave goodnight Armin went into his house, turning one more time to watch as Erwin drove away. He smiled to himself as he locked his door. That had been the best date he’d had.

That night, as Armin in lay in bed replaying the evening’s events his phone buzzed.

[Erwin]: I had fun tonight.

[Armin]: Me too

[Erwin]: How do you feel about a movie? Say Saturday night?

[Armin]: Sounds great

[Erwin]: Great. We’ll talk tomorrow. Goodnight.

[Armin]: Okay. Goodnight

Armin read through the messages again and again, smiling as he fell asleep. He had another date with Erwin. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO The French Room is a REAL restaurant and it's super fancy and has amazing food. ANd it is in a hotel. Also the car that Erwin drives is an Aston Martin DB9 Volante (it's a convertible, hell yeah). And Erwin is wearing a really nice Hugo Boss suit and Armin is wearing Express. 
> 
> If you notice any errors please tell me. And feel free to harass me on tumblr (erwinarlert.tumblr.com)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I'm REALLY sorry this took forever to post. I had a lot of trouble writing what I wanted to and to be honest I kind of lost inspiration a bit for this. I'm trying to decide what I want to do with it and it's leaning toward ending very soon because I'm not entirely sure right now. We'll just have to see. Also this chapter is pretty short and there's not a whole lot to it. It's mostly filler/set up for the next chapter. I do know what I want to happen next chapter so it's all a matter of writing it now. But it will *maybe* be the last one. Also an anon on tumblr gave me some good ideas and while I didn't write all of them I hinted sorta at one, so shout out to you babycakes♥
> 
> And thank you everyone for reading and kudos and comments and I want to hug all of you. I love you all okay♥

It had been a few weeks since Armin’s first date with Erwin and it was now December. Since then they had gone on a few more dates and things between the two were going well. Armin’s small crush on the man had grown into something so much more. He couldn’t help but think of Erwin as he lay in bed at night. He thought of everything from the musky scent of the cologne he often wore to how his soft lips felt pressed against his own. He thought of the way Erwin’s often composed face would crack when Armin told stupid jokes and the way he’d laugh as if it were the funniest thing he’d ever heard. Armin also thought about how they had yet to define where exactly things stood. He was happy to be around Erwin and he was happy during the dates they had and the moments they shared, but he wanted more from the man. He wanted a relationship with Erwin. He wanted to define things. He had told himself a couple times now that he would bring it up with Erwin when he could but he had yet to say anything. To keep himself from overthinking the matter he focused on other things like his work, his friends, and the fact that Christmas was only a week away.

 With Christmas right around the corner, Armin was suddenly very busy. Since he’d started teaching from his home he’d held a small recital for his students at Christmas. He’d let them pick their favorite Christmas song and the student would perform it in front of parents and other students. It was a fun time for everyone, but the planning took up much of his time. He would also decorate his house and string lights at the very least outside. He did this mostly in preparation for the recital. It was more festive if everything was decorated rather than the usual. His students certainly appreciated the decorations. He would also spend the day before the recital baking various confections to set out for before the students began playing. The recital was the biggest event of the year for him. He was also busy shopping for his friends, and this year there was the pressure of what to get Erwin. He knew what to get his friends easily. He’d known them for so many years. Erwin, however, was different. Armin felt like he knew the man well enough, but he wanted to be sure that he got Erwin the perfect gift. It was important to him, and so Armin was mildly stressed over what to give the man.

Armin decided to do his Christmas shopping at the same time he went shopping for baking ingredients thinking it would be more efficient to do both at the same time instead of making multiple trips and wasting gas. He grabbed the grocery list he’d made the night before and his keys and he set out first for the mall to get his Christmas shopping out of the way before heading off to the grocery store. As he drove to the mall he thought of what he could get his friends. He had decided to get a cello bow case that he had seen at the music store for Bertl. It was a nice hard shell case that was lined with velvet on the inside. For Jean he would probably go to the store that sold all the sports memorabilia.  He was a big fan of college football and collected various things of his favorite team, the Aggies. For Marco he decided on a new set of paints. Marco enjoyed painting whenever he could and could always use new paints. He’d finally decided on what to get his friends by the time he pulled up to the mall and found a decent parking space. All he had to decide on now was what to get Erwin and that was going to be the hardest part of it all. The thought of Erwin’s gift brought to his mind an earlier conversation he’d had with Jean.

\--

[Jean]: Yo armin. What are you getting mr. handsome

[Armin]: Really Jean? Mr. handsome?

[Jean]: Youre the one said he was so handsome. But what are you getting him for xmas. I can give you ideas man

[Armin]: Whatever. And I have no idea. I want to get him something great. But Im not sure what.

[Jean]: You could always get him something like what I got marco ;)

[Armin]: Should I ask what exactly you got Marco? Because I have a feeling I already know and I’m not getting Erwin something like that.

[Jean]: Oh youre no fun. But seriously if you wanna get something like that I know the perfect place. Marco seemed to enjoy what I got him last night if you know what I mean

[Armin]: Tmi Jean. And Erwin and I haven’t even gone that far. So I don’t think that’d be appropriate.

[Jean]: Its xmas. Anything is possible armin haha. Let me know if you want the name of that place. Oh! I could even help you pick out something ;P

\--

Armin had just finished purchasing Marco’s gift and was now, with several bags in tow, walking around the rest of the mall. He still hadn’t figured out what to get for Erwin. Nothing he saw or thought of was enough, and he honestly didn’t want to go the way Jean had suggested. At least not now. He wanted something perfect and special for Erwin and no material object he saw fit what he wanted to give the man. As he continued his wandering he thought of other things he could possibly do. On his second trip around the mall he remembered that Erwin had been curious to hear him play the piano. He could hear him teaching, but Armin didn’t play very much during his lessons. Erwin had told him that he’d like to hear him play something one day for him. When Armin remembered this he made up his mind about Erwin’s Christmas gift. He decided that he would write a song just for him, and in the back of his mind he thought that it would be the night when he would talk to Erwin about becoming more than what they currently were. His plan included Erwin being able to come over on Christmas, so he would have to ask him about that, but he felt good about his plans for Erwin’s gift as he finally exited the mall and made his way back to his car. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any problems or bad writing please tell me! And feel free to harass me on tumblr (erwinarlert.tumblr.com). And again, I'm kind of sorry about this chapter. It took forever and not a lot happens and maybe it's not the best. But thank you for reading and I'll do better on the next one!


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